Google Earth pearls #4

My favorite Google Earth Image of the day is one from the Ganges Delta in Bangladesh. It shows the enormous impact of environmental policies on land use and the complex consequences and trade-offs of environmental protection in a developing country. The left part of the picture is the Sundarbans National Park, an enormous mangrove dominated forest housing the extremely threatened Bengal tigers, flying foxes, etc. On the right, there is an extensive farming system, producing mainly jute, rice and tea. There is an immense population pressure and beside, over 65% of Bangladesh people work in agriculture. The available land is limited and is, as a consequence, cultivated intensively, leaving a deep and clear footprint on the landscape. Protected areas, such as the Sundarbans National Park may preserve natural ecosystems but it is worsening the problem of exorbitantly excavating ecosystems. There are two ways of looking at it... or you just look at it from the sky, astonishing!

(source of information: wikipedia))